10 Questions to Ask at Your Parent/Teacher Conference

Eliza Clark September 7, 2017

Meeting with your child's preschool teacher during the fall parent-teacher conferences is a valuable opportunity. Be sure to make the most of it by thinking in advance about what kinds of questions you want to ask. Here are ten suggestions.... Let us know what other questions you want to ask!

1. How is my child interacting with you and the other teachers? Start off by getting a sense of the teachers' relationship with your child.

2. What skills are you working on with the children? Understanding the teacher's goals will give you a context for the rest of the discussion.

3. What are my child's strengths in the classroom? You know your child's strengths, but what do they look like to a new person with a trained eye? You might be surprised!

4. What are her challenges during the typical school day? Every child has some sort of challenge at school. Understanding their areas of difficulty helps us support our kids.

5. Is my child making friends? Which kids does he like to play with? Get the scoop on the social scene at preschool!

6. What other children would you suggest for a play date with my child? Your teacher might suggest a friend you hadn't thought of. It's very valuable for a child to make lots of different friends at school rather than relying on just a few.

7. How is my child handling conflict? Maybe it's different from the way he handles it at home. It's worth finding out.

8. What toys, books and activities does my child enjoy most at school? Again, the answer may be a surprise. This is a great way to find out how you child's interests are developing in an independent setting.

9. What can we do at home to reinforce what my child is learning at school? Teachers and parents are partners! Do everything you can to create synergy between home and school.

10. How is your year going? Find out how things are going in the teacher's life. Building a warm relationship with your child's teacher will make everyone's year go better.

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